Published by Bruce Pels for the 51st Mailing of the April i960 980 Figueroa Terrace Los Angeles 12, California Incunebulous Publication #18 Illustrations by Bjo Harness Kotsler 0OO0 A few editorial comments on subjects that affect more or less the entire organi­ zation. Firstly, on the matter of mailing comments or no mailing comments. I can see no reason for anyone "to hammer away at another member to get him to include mail­ ing comments when he doesn't like to do them.,Nor, on the other hand, for anyone to grouse continually about those members who do like to have mailing comments, even to the point of running nothing BUT MCs. If one dislikes the individual contents of a zine, there is nothing wrong with saying so point-blank; if the member doesn't do anything to change the content, you can always ignore his zine. But if there are so many members doing this thing which you dislike, that it seems a general characteristic of the group, you had bet­ ter resign from SAPS, and try some other APA. Right new, the MC-addicts seem to be in the majority, so if the non-MC fac­ tion is content to read MCs and Just put in general material for their activity, that's fine; otherwise, why don't they resign? But in any case, there is no sense in their continual blithering about Too Much MCs. The other contingent that should either shut their big yawps or get out is the one that insists that a SAPSzine is not a SAPSzine without MCs. If they are that much in need of a mutual admiration and group psychology organization, they can start their own APA and make one of the rules that a member must have so many pages of mailing comments in each mail­ ing. So what it it's impossible to make much comment on general stuff? The member who put in the general stuff should realize that it won't get much comment — I realized it myself, despite the grousing in #5 (after which I resolved not to cut SAPS stencils when I'm in a depressed mood). There is, of course, a third group: those who are content to put in barely the minimum, requirements (and most of that unreadable and iuninteresting), Just to get the mailings and keep supplied with reading material. Against anyone like this the entire membership has a gripe, and most anything is fair against him. Right now, I don't think we have anyone who falls into this category, though, there are one ore two who are skirting rather close to the edge. i i y ■ : E' The second matter has to do with SAPS OElections and Pillar Poll voting. I voted early this year — in fact, I got a postcard from Wally informing me that I had cast the second ballot. Then, early in March, I received a letter from one Burnett R. Toskey, Ph.D., OE, which was primarily an offer of a chance to buy a few old SAPS mailings. But the final paragraph went like so: "Sneaky of you to vote for Harness instead of Miriam. The Carrs paid a visit up here recent­ ly, and Miriam would make a fine OE, but not as good as... ." Now, as far as I knew, only one person was supposed to find out how I voted in this elec­ tion, and that was the official teller, one Wally Weber. I am grotched quite a bit that anyone else should have access to the voting records, but I'm not try­ ing to blame Wally. When Toskey originally appointed Wally as teller, after a period of declaring that he would count the votes himself (during which there were loud objections to that idea, from myself, and from others), I had an idea that the appointment was made so that Toskey could flatter, persuadeaand cajole the official teller into letting him find out who fvoted how in the election. But I didn't think that anyone - even Toskey - would be stupid enough to BRAG, in ef­ fect, that he had done so. I imagine that he also knows who voted how in the Pil­ lar Poll. If so, he knows that he got only one point from me — and had it been mor more, I would have sent a letter to Wally cancelling every single point I'd given Toskey, since there is no other way to register a protest of null-egoboo. Soooooo.... I propose that there be added to the rules of SAPS a statement that the official teller shall keep all votes secret from the rest of the member­ ship — this rule to be added by the Incoming OEney. Why should one member be al­ lowed to audit the votes, and not the rest? Might aS well publish the entire vot­ ing results in tabular form, giving who voted for whom in what category. Pfui. As you may have guessed, I am still grotched. DEPARTMENT OF NEGATIVE HUXTERING: SAPSzines needed - fanzines please? Mailing 21: SPRING COMES TO BLANCHARD AND SOMERVILLE Fanzines Please? 26: ONCE IS ENOUGH (Anderson) & ZEITSCHRIFT 77^ PLEASE? 36: THE KEEBIRD CAPER P*L*E*A*S*E??? 37: COLLECTOR 39: THE HAPPY SAP & COSLETZINE 139 (Pt. 2) 1+1: REPORT ON THE LONCON & AGHAST 1-1| 42: WARNING (Meyers) also: Mailings 1-5, 8-20, and 24 e any postmailings from the Mlg.3O"3T hiatus. CABAL 3 /M Qs //7/e LADDER 24 Jan We begin thia iaaue’a stuff in attempt to nako it rough I'or the characters like Loe, who deplore so much MC. I intend that they shall find, as through SpoBen they shall wind, There are things e good deal worse than MCs — such as this verse. Yet I still would like to please those who want to read LLCs, So if throe months gives me time, ell MCs will be in rhyme! 29 Jan Five days gone by, and nothing done even to start this SpeBem's run; I found before I'd e'en begun, MCs in verse are work, not fun. So back we go now, once again, to straight MCs, which bug some fen. Let those who wish to gripe and groan put out their six-page stencilled moan; That kind of stuff they do quite well. Or else Just let them go to hell. (I should like to emphasize to you SAPSish gals and guys That this diatribe is lined with no special fan in mind. Quite a few have hit the keys to spell out "Not so much MCs!!" ALL of these I aim at here -- do I make myself quite clear?) Now the thought ,that I had most in mind when I became quite SAPS-inclined Was "This looks like a lot of fun" --it should be so with everyone! I don't say APAs aren't a chore; at times all fandom's quite a bore -- But I'll throw fandom out the door when fun is less and work is more. If most SAPS greet, with gladsome cries, tons of MCs, which you despise, Either ignore them if you can, or get out -- let in some other fan. But on the other hand there is another side to this strange biz: The idiot who, in some way, sees nothing of worth except MCs; The dolt with the tone so condescending, who says that he thinks your ways need mending If you prefer that your fanzine score with articles, fiction ----- and nothing more. Non-MC stuff, this clod will shout, is good in a zine Just to pad it out! You may print what you like, say his kind decrees, provided, of course, that you do MCs. This craze for MCs is a vile curse, it ought to be clear there is nothing worse Than to force mailing comments from members unwilling -- in writing they're bad, but in reading they're killing. So I'll no longer on this crap dwell; let those with these attitudes go to hell. Let each member do what he damn well pleases articles, fiction, or even MCses! And I'll end this verse-page, quite patently bad (Yes, Terry, the meter keeps changing like mad.) ROCK #3 Entertaining blatherings -- rather the sort of thing that is coming to be Espected in ROCK. Your right-hand, sub-neo isn't really much use on a case of anything but booze, but I do wish you’d sent him somewhere other .than \ Florida — he polluted the state, so I had to move. A distinct non-fannish --or even anti-fannish atmosphere was pervading the area, starting around Sarasota, and spreading in all directions. The part that spread out to sea has been called the "red tide." Please keep him put‘of California, : at--least: for the next... couple.; of years r till I can getnjy MS and afford tb move again. ■ •. i. .k .iC Very good' likeness! of Toskey you havd drawn here- the little.:png i^-p-arcone? Go ahead and write' that never’-to-be-read-by-anyone-else autobiographyr Es> I’ll have someone swipe it (My spies'are' everywhere), and? publish itiin. SAPSs OK?; Why, I'll even give you page credits. 'Generosity is my watchword, ("watchword": one that is engraved on the back of a watch -- or a word one better watch; it's sneaky.) Re: "music.garbage can" and your intimation that I may be a literary garbage can, I admit to liking.Shell. Scott, fanzines -and Shakespeare and a few other.kinds of writing, BUT .1 like only parts Of each one: Shell Scott is good only, for an.occasion­ al clever line; fanzines are.